Friday, April 19, 2013

MORNING IN RICHMOND VIRGINIA…..

……..brought beautiful blue skies and a 90 degree temperature! I thought it best to start the day with a hearty breakfast in my room.

Just one photo before I go….

A partial view of the grounds at the Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel.

And I’m off with lovely Julie!

What’s that I see? Could it be a Nan Rae image???

Yes, exactly that….one of 300 plus.

And here I am, signing and numbering those 300 plus prints.

Here’s a signature to prove it and the job only took me 5 hours. I think the numbering slowed me down.

The finished stack of 300 plus signed and numbered images.

And here it is framed and ready to go to CRATE and BARREL with the other 299 hand signed and numbered prints.

Can you see the deckled edge? The print is floated above the mat. Someone does the deckling by HAND….imagine!

Time for a relaxing dinner……

Easy on the dessert………….

Did George Washington sleep here????

The grounds at the hotel were soooo beautiful & relaxing. Can you hear the birds singing in this video????

I thought it best to have a hearty breakfast before leaving my comfy room and heading to the airport. And yes, I polished off everything!

En route……so beautiful……

This adorable little girl was at the Richmond airport with her two pooches….they had been flying for 5 hours…….

Meet Captain Christy, flying out of Charlotte North Carolina. I actually stopped her in the ladies room with “Are you a pilot?” …….so fun! We decided to exit the LR for this photo!

See Captain Christie’s tie showing all the places she flies to…..

I bought this sandwich in the terminal and it was soooooo delicious. Chicken salad with chunks of apples & the best ever bread.

Going home it was Super Shuttle which I do not recommend. Even with a reservation I waited outside over 30 minutes and it was late at night and cold….not quite a ‘dark and stormy night’ but too cold to wait that long for the shuttle and of course, after being picked up the driver had to circle around looking for more passengers.

These fellows and the lights in the tunnel leading to Sepulveda Blvd looked like something on another planet. The photo doesn’t capture it.

For some odd reason, the driver was unable to process one of my fellow passengers credit card and made her go into a 7Eleven in Glendale for cash. She was only able to get $10. so it was a crazy time getting the matter resolved.

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Introduction

There is no avoiding the pull of the internet, the blogs, the YouTube imaginings. It's as if we're all 'On the Road' with Jack Kerouac each in our own world of meanderings. When we tell someone to 'get a life' it might be a bit difficult when you're dragged into other people's 24/7.

I've come to realize two foundational principals, there are no accidents and everyone has a purpose. More and more I'm desiring everyone to come into a full realization of their purpose as we all find our way on this little jewel of a planet.

For me, as a professional 'Western style artist', I stumbled into Chinese Brush Painting after a trip in 1980 to Monet's home/garden. Seeing all of his collection of Japanese woodblock prints was an ahh haa moment for me and when I returned to the States I started painting in the Chinese manner and never looked back. The first year was extremely painful for me as I felt that I should be able to master the technique since I was a 'trained' artist. Not a chance ... that just gets in your way.

Now, after teaching close to 3,000 students and having my book 'The Ch'i of the Brush' published by Watson Guptill, I can say that every one of my students does better their first day than I did my first year! Why? Because I insist that they leave their critical parent outside and just enjoy the journey, respecting the work that they do. I never let anyone throw anything away because that just ingrains frustration and defeat.

We really only begin to learn when we stop and figure out how to 'save' a painting. It works every time.I am so proud of my students, their receptivity and eagerness to express themselves is a continuing blessing for me.So, back to finding your purpose. Perhaps it starts with realizing 'it's not about me'. It so easy to want our needs met and to filter everything thru this attitude. When we realize that we're here to be of benefit to every life that we touch the universe really provides the ways and means.

The best part is that it's really exciting to not have yourself on your mind all the time!I'm re-reading a wonderful book about authenticity and in my next meandering I'll tell you about it. In the meantime I'd love to hear about your journey and am here to answer any and all questions about Chinese Brush Painting.

Welcome! Here we'll be talking about Brush Painting and living joyfully! My website (nanrae.com) has complete examples of my work. I have been an artist since childhood. I have introduced and taught thousands Chinese Brush Painting in my Studio, the Huntington Library, Otis and other locations. My work is reproduced on Greeting Cards in the USA and all over Europe and Australia by Ling Design in England. It is wonderful being able to do the thing you love and to share it with others.